A rainbow is produced due to which one of the following phenomena ?

A rainbow is a natural spectrum formed in the sky through the dispersion of sunlight by tiny water droplets acting as small prisms [1]. When sunlight enters a raindrop, it undergoes refraction and dispersion, followed by internal reflection, and finally refracts again as it exits the droplet [2]. This process splits white sunlight into its constituent colors because different wavelengths bend at different angles. While the phenomenon involves a combination of reflection and refraction, the specific separation of light into a spectrum of colors is defined as dispersion [2]. Other phenomena like interference and diffraction are responsible for supernumerary bows but not the primary rainbow itself. Scattering, often caused by atmospheric dust or gas, is responsible for the blue color of the sky rather than the distinct spectral bands of a rainbow [3].

Sources

1. [1] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: The Human Eye and the Colourful World > Activity 10.2 > p. 167
2. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 24: Hydrological Cycle (Water Cycle) > Explanation: > p. 335
3. [3] Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: The Human Eye and the Colourful World > The Human Eye and the Colourful World CHAPTER10 > p. 161